Huge cost

According to these new figures the average time people got stuck in the Hopgrove jams was 32 minutes. And they reached an average of 2.6 miles (4.24km) in length.

There is a huge cost to all this sitting around in traffic.

Inrix estimates the total cost to the economy of the Hopgrove roundabout congestion is £10,338,587.

And the second worst congestion hotspot? The A64 / A1237 junction at its western side. There were 763 incidents of congestion here in 2017, costing £6.6m.

The research found there were 22,160 traffic jams at 2,416 traffic hotspots within North Yorkshire in 2017.

And across the country traffic congestions cost UK drivers more than £37 billion over the year.

“Combined with the rising price of motoring, the cost of congestion is astonishing – it takes billions out of the economy and impacts businesses and individuals alike,” said Dr Graham Cookson, chief economist of Inrix.

“With the Office of National Statistics showing more cars on the road than ever before, we need to consider innovative new approaches to solving the issue.”

The Highways Agency is about to start work on a scheme to improve the Hopgrove junction and ease congestion.